Alphonse turned in early these last two nights, a rather unusual occurrence these days. I tend to forget he is almost twenty, and that 9pm bedtimes no longer apply to almost-full grown adults like him.

We’re transitioning to a new teacher this week and you know Alphonse, he instinctively reacts to change. We’re glad it seems he likes his new teacher but I know he will miss Teacher Paul when the week is up. So far (knock on wood), the only thing we’ve noticed is a change in his sleeping pattern (knock on wood again).

The other day, he woke up at 4am all bright and chirpy. He and I waited for sunrise while watching videos on YouTube but the second he saw sunlight streaming through the curtained windows, he grabbed his dad by the wrist and forced him to stand up. Then he pointed to the car keys and half-dragged his bleary-eyed father to drive him around the block.

It came as no surprise he was out like a light early that night. Wanting to take advantage of this, I decided to call it a day too. But just before I turned off the lights, Alex called out to me in a whisper and said, “Look at Alphonse, Mama. He is fabulous!”

I took a peek at Alphonse, already fast asleep in his bed. His body was slightly bent at the waist, his arms stretched upwards and bent at the elbows, his hands lightly touching the sides of his head. There was a small smile playing on his lips, He looked so calm, so peaceful, so beautiful. He did look fabulous!